SOU men land three on preseason all-league team

Five Southern Oregon University standouts landed on the preseason all-Cascade Conference basketball teams that were announced Tuesday by the league office.

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Posted Oct. 18, 2013 at 2:00 AM

Posted Oct. 18, 2013 at 2:00 AM

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LA GRANDE — Five Southern Oregon University standouts landed on the preseason all-Cascade Conference basketball teams that were announced Tuesday by the league office.

David Sturner, Kyle Tedder and Eric Thompson represented the Raiders on the men's side while Allison Gida and Carly Meister got the nods for the Raider women. Both teams featured 15 players each and were voted on by the CCC's head coaches.

The SOU men, who on Monday were picked to win the conference, had more selections than any other school. Concordia senior Adam Herman was tapped to be the preseason player of the year after putting up 22.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game last season.

Thompson, a 6-foot-7 junior forward, averaged a team-high 16.5 points to go with 6.5 rebounds for SOU in 2012-13, and did his best work during the postseason when he hit 20.8 points over five games. He was an all-conference selection for the second straight season and an honorable mention all-American.

Sturner, a 6-8 senior post, claimed those same honors and was the CCC's top newcomer after having one of the league's two double-double averages with 12.8 points and 10.4 rebounds.

Tedder ranked fourth in conference-only points per game (15.7), first in 3-pointers made (3.4) and 3-point percentage (44.9) and 15th in steals (1.2). The 6-2 senior, who received all-conference honorable mention, is six 3-point makes away from breaking SOU's career record of 220, which was set by Ryan Harbert in 1997.

Oregon Tech's Karissa Dixon was the women's preseason player of the year. The senior guard averaged 13.8 points and 6.6 rebounds as a junior.

Gida, a 5-11 senior wing, posted 12.6 points per game during the conference season to rank 15th. She was also seventh in steals (1.9) and 13th in shooting percentage (44.0), prompting honorable mention kudos.

Meister shared freshman of the year honors with averages of 5.9 points and 7.9 rebounds at forward. She and Gida are two of three returning starters for the Raiders, who were picked to finish fourth in the CCC preseason coaches' poll.

The Raider women will be in action for the first time this season at 10 a.m. Saturday in their Alumni Game. The men's Alumni Game is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Oct. 26.